St. Luke’s Episcopal Church has been a home for many in Baton Rouge for the past 60 years, but on the morning of Feb. 17, it went up in flames.
Hundreds were devastated by the news. Among them was eighth-grader Lorelei Davis.
She didn’t believe it at first, Davis wrote over text—she thought the other students in a group chat were lying or trying to play some kind of prank when they messaged that the church had burnt down.
“People got sad once it all settled in,” she said.
Early on Feb. 17, St. Luke’s was engulfed in flames that destroyed the church and its library. Firefighters who arrived on the scene stopped the blaze in time to save St. Luke’s Pre K-8 school next door.
The Rev. Bryan Owen later that day sent out a message to family and friends of the church, detailing what happened and stating that they are “Standing Strong Together,” while also expressing their gratitude to the first responders who stopped the fire.
“God will see us through this time of trial as together we begin the journey of rebuilding.” Owen wrote. “With much love and many prayers for you all.”
Most things in the church were destroyed, but the cross that was used throughout countless services remained intact, though heat had warped the metal.
“The cross, a symbol used in every service and recovered from the ruins of our demolished church, now represents our resilience, strength, and unity,” read the church’s Facebook page.
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On the Sunday after the fire, St. Luke’s held a church service at the school’s gym. The celebrant proudly held up the warped cross.
Later that day, the church posted on Facebook documenting other “treasures” that survived the fire: a tabernacle, crucifixes and more.
Davis said they canceled school the Monday after the fire. Since then, the community has been finding ways to adapt to their new reality.
“Many of the elementary students would go up to where the remains [were] gated off and collect little pieces of the church and give [them] out to other students as little mementos,” she said.
Davis had been looking forward to having her eighth-grade graduation in the church, she said, but she was happy that the fire didn’t destroy everything.
St. Luke’s is currently working on cleaning up and rebuilding their church.
The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana released a statement sending support to St. Luke’s, saying that anyone capable of donating was welcome to do so on St. Luke’s website.
As of now, the reason for the fire is still under investigation. Damages were estimated at $4 million, according to reporting from Brproud.
“Despite the flames that consumed buildings, our faith remains strong and our spirits unbroken,” the church quoted Owen on its Facebook page.
A sign near the burned church read: “We are St. Luke’s Strong.”
This article has been corrected to reflect that St. Luke’s is a Pre K-8 school.
